Title: Girl Like That

Authors: Mrs. Witter (Jamie) and ChristineCS (Chris, duh)

Disclaimer: Jamie and I, despite the harem we own (we know it creates mass confusion about the ownership thing), do not own Gilmore Girls, their characters, matchbox twenty, their songs or Rob's awesome writing talent so we don't own the lyrics in the chapter title. We also don't own Mark Paul Gosselaar or Emilie De Raven, but you'll have to think about why that is added. We do however claim ownership on our own writing. So consider yourself warned.

Rating: PG – 13

Pairing: Rory/Tristan

Author's note: 1) If you haven't figured it out by now, Mark Paul and Emilie have been cast to play Cole Montgomery and Schuyler Claymore, respectively. Yeah, we're strange like that.

2) Correction: Schuyler is pronounced "Skylar".

3) Jess lives in Boston because we didn't know where he was moving to when we first started writing. Besides, our Dipper hearts couldn't pass up such an opportunity.

4) One chapter of solid S/C does not make Trory a secondary storyline. Patience people! Thanks Katie for understand so much!

Chapter 11: If we slide on over and accept fate

Rory had waited until Tristan had left and she had gotten her ice cream before even thinking about actually striking up a real conversation with Jess. It was definitely an ice cream moment. Actually it was more of a super coffee moment but ice cream would have to do. After an awkward introduction and an even more awkward goodbye, Mr. Mariano went outside. This led to her giving Jess an impulsive but awkward hug. Oy, all this awkwardness was going to be the death of her yet. She was surprised to be still living after standing in between Tristan and Jess. It had even made her feel guilty for reasons she didn't know why. Oh, how Lorelai Leigh Gilmore longed for the days when the only man in her life was her nomadic father.

"So, wow, you're here." She really needed to stop her overuse of the word "wow" around him. It made her sound blonde and vacuous, even more than she felt that way.

He had a wisecrack for that, he really did. But somehow, after seeing Rory with that Tristan guy, he wasn't in the mood for joking. He shrugged as they sat down at a table. "I said I would be." 

"I know, it's just so..." Real. Rory frowned and took a bite out of her waffle cone. "Shocking still. How are you?" Her hand reached forward to touch his arm, but then fell awkwardly on the table when she remembered that she shouldn't do that. Habits were hard to break. "Are you good?"

"I'm good. You?"

Right. It was pointless to start up a conversation with Jess- all he'd do is grunt out a monosyllable and twist it so you were the only one sharing. "I'm good. Actually, really good. I've made good, nice friends. What about you? Have you made friends?" Man, ice cream had a worse effect on her than coffee. Or maybe it was just Jess.

God, he missed the rambling. "A couple. It seems that you're much better in that department though. It's been three weeks and you and that guy seem to know each other pretty well." He sounded jealous. Damn.

"Tristan went to Chilton." Except for most of his junior year and none of his senior year. "So I already knew him." Though at the time she had known him before she hadn't been very glad of that fact. But now, well it was nice having him around. She started to smile but then caught her self, and worked on her ice cream cone instead.

He was used to studying her closely so he didn't miss the hint of her smile that played across her lips. Something in his stomach churned and he looked away, already hating Tristan. He was just so…lucky. "I saw Paris."

"Oh," Rory sucked in the word more than she actually said it. "How is she?" It was weird to think of Jess and Paris being just the two of them, without her.

It was his turn to smile a little. "Same old, same old."

Jess knowing what would be typical Paris. It really did hurt to move on, and at the same time it was very.... not healing, but just felt right. "I'm glad. How is..." She looked out the window, and then back at him. "Your living arrangement going?"

"It's going, I guess. My dad and I…were working on it." Why was it so weird to talk to Rory about this? Why had it been easy to tell Paris?

"That's good." This was weirder than she could have ever imagined. "Luke misses you." Which is probably why she just blurted that out.

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He had talked to Luke, apologized even, but still even the mere mention of his uncle made him feel guilty. He met her gaze this time, hoping to show her that he meant what he said next. "I miss him, too."

He meant it, she could tell. Rory was glad she could tell, because it still meant they had a semblance of a connection. "It's really pathetic actually. He slumps around the diner, looking morose. Sometimes he just stops and looks up to where the apartment is, and looks like he's listening for something. Punk music, perhaps. And then his frown deepens when he doesn't hear it and he continues on berating my mother and me for our high caffeine consumption."

He had disappointed Luke; the guilt worsened. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. Suddenly, like a freight train, it hit him. He had disappointed her, too. She was talking about Luke but he knew she meant herself, as well. "I'm sorry, Rory."

Rory wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that, and the only words that came to mind were from a Good Charlotte song that went 'it's not okay, but we're all right', but it was rather cheesy to quote a song in conversation unless you were in a musical. And even then, you could only quote Good Charlotte if Baz Luhrmann had directed it. So she finished off her ice cream before responding. "I know you are."

"I didn't want us to end that way." Hell, he didn't want them to end at all.

Neither did she. But it seemed all her relationships were bound to end disastrously, if her experiences with Dean and Jess were any indication. "Maybe it's better that you got a clean start with your father…with no connections from your past life."

Maybe she was right, but he didn't want to think she wouldn't be a part of his life at all. Letting go had never been a problem for him until now. "Yeah, I guess so."

Rory bit her lip. "Not to say that in the future that you may want…some past connections to reenter your life." She paused. "As a friend."

He couldn't help but smile as he reached for her hand, the awkwardness between them suddenly dissipating. "I'd like that."

She grinned back at him. "Me too."

He waited until she finished her ice cream before gesturing they leave. Once outside, he turned to her expectantly. She looked back at him, those blue eyes wide and innocent and he remembered the first time he'd seen her, smiling prettily and greeting him cheerfully. He had wanted to kiss her then, he wanted to do so now. "So…"

"So…" Rory repeated, fidgeting. It was almost a déjà vu moment right now. How many times had she found herself in this place? Standing with Jess. Except it wasn't, because she was uncertain on how to continue.

He reached for her hand, pulled her close. Her eyes widened and she looked up hesitantly. It was a different kind of hesitation now, he could tell. It felt strange. "Can I kiss you?"

"Um," Rory stammered and then bit down gently on her tongue. It would feel nice to… "One last time?"

He nodded and leaned in touching his lips lightly to hers, applying the barest pressure. She responded but it wasn't the same. In fact, she pulled away before he could deepen it. It was probably for the best. She smiled slightly. "It was good to see you, Rory."

"It was good to see you too, Jess," She gave him another quick hug, this time a lot less awkward than the one she had greeted him with. "Come back to Stars Hollow sometime. During a holiday or something."

"Those are the times I'd like to avoid Stars Hollow," he grinned.

Rory returned it. "But it's so much fun. Do you really want to miss out on Luke threatening Taylor with a frying pan? Or Mom stealing the cinnamon sugar from beneath the counter so that her coffee is in a Christmas mood?"

His smiled widened and he let go of her hands. "Bye Rory."

"Bye Jess," she said before walking away. And then she smiled to herself, that's what good bye was supposed to feel like.

~*~

Cecily Claymore lifted her hand and knocked delicately on the door of her daughter's dorm room. Cole had shown her to the building but refused to come upstairs. It was strange; he was always such a good friend to Skye. She knocked again, this time louder. The door flew open and she smiled brightly. "Hello darling."

Vaughn had been in the middle of, well nothing really, she had her music up a little too loud, but when listening to Tara MacLean that was a necessity, and staring at the words on her text book despite the fact they all kind of blended together to make just lines of black. Which meant she wasn't getting any studying done since she wasn't even sure whether it was her Psych books or one of her Medieval text books. But then the knocking had sounded, and she had been glad for the reprieve of blinding herself through staring, and she to pause to turn down the music and then she had opened the door. And wondered whether or not the too-loud music and the staring had affected her hearing and her sight, because that could not be her mother standing there.

But it was, as soon as the breezy greeting had passed Cecily Claymore's painted lips, Vaughn had suddenly felt that she was too short, her hair too bright, her eyes too weird and her clothes to peculiar for a girl of her standing. Yes, this was definitely her mother. Now the only question was what was she doing there.

"Hello…Mother." Vaughn wasn't sure if she had referred to her mother by any name at all since that whole mess had begun. She had made a point to only go to her Father's or brother's during breaks at St. Helene's.

Cecily inspected the room, her eyes roving over the two beds, the window, the posters and the desk before she turned to her daughter again. Skye stood awkwardly at the doorway as if she were afraid to move. Her daughter was such a drama queen. "Well, don't stand there. Come give me a hug."

Vaughn was finally able to move, except she stepped away from Cecily, rather than embracing her. "You didn't tell me you were coming."

Ah yes, her daughter wasn't very touchy feely. She ran her fingertips over the top of Vaughn's desk. "Yes, well, I thought I'd surprise you. But the unplanned visit did have a downfall – I didn't know which room you were in, least of all how to get here. And then, an angel was sent to me." She giggled at her own dramatic flair.

Vaughn had never been sure if her mother was just a flaky airhead or overly dramatic. Cecily Claymore had done some wonderful manipulations of people and events, so she doubted it was the former. Then she frowned, "An angel?"

"Cole Montgomery." She clapped her hands together, grinning. "How handsome did he turn out? I guess what they say about apples falling from trees is true. He showed me how to get here. Such a gentleman."

Of course he would show her mother right to her door. Vaughn didn't know why she still had the ability to feel betrayed by him. "How nice of him." She was suddenly too exhausted to deal with her mother, and she sat back down on her desk chair. "Why are you here?"

"I've come to visit, of course." She glanced over at the other bed on the other side of the room. "So, am I going to get to meet your roommate?"

The mention of her roommate, reminded Vaughn why she had been staring at her textbook. After dealing with her ex-boyfriend, the last thing Rory needed was to meet Cecily Claymore. "I'm not sure. How long are you here for?" If it was any longer than two seconds, she may be ready for death.

"Do you want me to leave, Schuyler Vaughn?"

Yes. "I'd hate to cut into your busy…" She bit her tongue on this one. "Social schedule."

Cecily wasn't as dense as her daughter believed her to be. She sighed and sat down on the bed, crossing her legs. "I bet you didn't ask you father to leave."

"He hasn't visited yet." But it was true; she wouldn't ask her father to leave. Unless he tried to bed Rory, that was just crossing the line. But she wouldn't put it past Roger Claymore.

Cecily smiled smugly. "Of course he hasn't."

Vaughn's immediate reaction was to open her mouth and defend her father. But then she closed it, what did she care? She was over being in the middle of the divorce. And it looked like her mother was going to milk this visit for all it was worth. "How have you been?"

"Oh you know…" Cecily stated with a wave of her hand. She'd been normal. She had spent the summer in the south of France, fucking gorgeous men. "Good."

She really didn't want to know. "That's good."

What was it that teenagers wanted these days? Parents to be their friends. She could do that. "So, are you sleeping with someone?"

Vaughn wasn't sure what was more embarrassing - walking in on her mother and Charles Montgomery when she was twelve, or her mother asking that question. "Not as of late." She had to relax her jaw before she grinded her teeth down to dust.

Oh well. Her daughter had always been kind of a prude. All these gorgeous college men and Schuyler had become a fan of celibacy. Figured. "I'm sure you'll find someone."

Actually singledom seemed so very appealing to her, but she wasn't going to provide her mother with that information. "I'm sure."

Cecily opened her mouth to say something when the door opened and a brown-haired girl walked in, looking a little sad. Ah, the roommate. She looked so…naïve.

Rory stopped short when she spotted the blonde haired woman on her bed. For a minute she figured that she had come into the wrong room, still weirded out by the Jess visit. But then she spotted Schuyler. "Um, hey. Sorry if I'm interrupting."

Vaughn stood up. "Not at all." Her mother and her couldn't carry on a decent conversation to save their lives. "Rory, this is Cecily Claymore." Then she turned to her mother. "This is my roommate, Rory Gilmore."

Cecily extended her hand. "Hello Rory. Such a pretty name."

Rory colored a bit. "Thank you. It's short for Lorelai. I was named after my mother. I get this verbal thing from her too. Sorry, I'll shut up."

Cecily smiled. She was an…interesting girl. "Oh you must tell me more. Skye and I hardly had a chance to catch up."

"Actually, it's not going to be very possible, Rory and I have an English Composition class to attend." The lie slipped off her tongue far too easily. Maybe she did have some of her parents in her after all. "Are you going to be here when I get back?"

Cecily sighed. What would she do while she waited? And she had that dinner with the Helen Worthington. "I would love to stay. But I have plans."

"Maybe some other time," Rory said trying to be polite but then bit her bottom lip when Vaughn glared at her. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Claymore."

"Likewise Rory." She leaned in to kiss her daughter on her cheek. "Call me, darling."

It'd be a cold day in hell before that happened, but Vaughn refrained from making any more comments as her mother left. Once Cecily was gone, she reached into her desk drawer, pulled out two candy bars, and handed one to Rory. They were going to need it.